Silent Tears
by Toxinator
Summary: Everyone around them is dying, dropping off like flies. Why is this happening? Who is killing everyone? Is there some sort of pattern? No, that's not it. And what's with all of the mixed reactions? Could it be...?
1. Liz & Patty Thompson

_My newest story. I was planning on making this another oneshot, but, I've been doing those a lot lately, and decided to make this one with chapters. _

_So, there is waiting involved. _

_But, I think this will be better that way. :D_

_So, I don't own Soul Eater, nor any of the characters or references in it._

_Enjoy~  
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><p>The Thompson twins were alone in the streets of Death City, running away from something that had attacked them. The streets were empty, and no one seemed to be around. Patty turned into her weapon form, while Liz used her to try and fight off the dark figure they were facing, and when it came close to slashing one sister, they switched positions. Now, Liz was the pistol and Patty was the handler. They had different ways of fighting, yes, but even with the sudden and unfamiliar changes, the beast kept finding ways around it, and into their openings. There were three more switches between the twins before Patty was caught in the path of their opponent's blade, resulting in a very painful, and very deep gash in her skinny arm. Liz should not have turned back into her human form, but she was too concerned for the well-being of her dear sister to think twice about changing forms. For when she was off guard, not even Patty was quick enough to alert her big sister about the incoming blade, and in one, fatal stab through both of the Thompson twins' torsos, they bled, falling to the ground in silence as the figure left them in the dark.<p>

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><p>The day was no less fitting.<p>

Anyone who had known the twins had arrived, clad in black with tears in their eyes and sorrow in their hearts. They were such good people, someone said. And they were always willing to help someone in need, said another. Everyone was talking about them as if they were the daughters of an old friend, and the ones who thought of them as family, the ones who loved them the most, were silent. They didn't even cry. No, they _couldn't _cry. It was too soon, they shouldn't have died so young. The silent ones couldn't believe that they were gone. It was impossible. They were so happy just the night before, so alive, full of life and loving every second of it. But now...

Soon enough, all who had made an appearance were beginning to leave. The last ones to leave were the five who had grown closest to the twins. It had hit them all hard, and they had all wanted to cry. Now, seeing their faces, their cold, sleeping faces...it was impossible to hold back the tears. Tsubaki and Maka stood close to one another, with Black Star and Soul next to them. Death the Kid was in front of them all, looking down on the emotionless faces of his weapons, his family, his beloved friends. Kid was the one to take them in, to make them better people, and they had shared so many memories...it was hard to see their faces without a smile on them. And now, even he was crying. But in silence. There was no sniffing, no wheezing, only the sound of the wind blowing the leaves in the trees, and the sound of death.

Their tears were shed without notice.

Their sorrow was felt without cease.

Their family was left without two of its loving members, and it was impossible to get them back.

It was a long time before they left the sight of the twins. They were lowered, buried, prayed over, and then longed for. It was hard to leave their side, even when they were in the hands of death.

It was impossible.

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><p>"I can't believe it," Tsubaki said softly, after hours of sitting together in silence. "I just can't believe they're gone..."<p>

"Yeah," Soul agreed after a silence.

"It..." Kid was searching for words, desperately, but could find none. What was there to say, at a time like this? "I just...yesterday, it was...only yesterday, Liz and Patty were here..." They all felt the emotion well up inside of them, the memory of the sister's smiles, their laughter, everything. Now, they were nothing but memories. "...right, here..." Kid let the silent tears run from his eyes once more, closing his eyes, and remembering. Black Star made an effort to keep himself from crying, but it was no use. They were a group of seven, they always had been. And now, they were only five. There was nothing more heartbreaking than that.

"Kid," Maka spoke softly, wiping the tears from her eyes with a sigh. "You're...you're welcome to stay here, if you don't want to go back home tonight. Black Star, Tsubaki, you can stay, too, if you want,"

"Our door's always open, for any of you," Soul added, putting a hand on Maka's shoulder. She nodded, but only Black Star and Tsubaki looked up, Kid still stared at the floor, lost.

"Well," Tsubaki said in her normal, half-nervous sounding tone. "We wouldn't want to impede on you guys during such a hard time-"

"Ah, well I think it's a good idea! What better way to help each other _through _those hard times than spending the night together, huh?" Black Star, of course, interrupted and gave his opinion, his very loud opinion. "So, Kid, how 'bout it?" He looked at Kid, who was still silent. He looked up at Black Star, his yellow eyes brooding. Sighing, Kid nodded in acceptance. But none of them really knew what he really wanted to do, he was all of the sudden passive, but that was expected. After all, two of the closest people to him had just died...

But the night went on, and the days passed one by one. Yes, the remaining five were still mourning over their lost friends, but none of them were as bad as Kid was. He hardly spoke, anymore, and he lost most of his motivation. No one mentioned it to him, but one day, he came to the Academy with a single lock of his hair sticking up, only on one side of his head.

"Kid," Soul came up to him one day after school was out. They were just released from their final class, and were walking through the hallways to exit the DWMA.

"Yes, Soul?" His voice was plain, almost emotionless, like it normally was, only, there was something in it that was _different _somehow. Sighing, Soul continued.

"How are you holding up?" He wasted no time in getting to the point, and the whole time, his red eyes were on Kid, watching him.

"As well as any meister in this position _can _be," And with that, he was quiet. It took him many more days until his attitude improved, but he was never really the same old Death the Kid, again. There was always a looming cloud of despair over him, as if the thought of Liz and Patty's death was always on his mind. Yes, it was a hard subject for everyone, but everyone except Kid had recovered, although it was still sad to think about.

Now, it had been almost an entire month since the twins' death.

Death the Kid was at home, alone, surrounded by his all-too-familiar symmetrical home layout. He found comfort in it, but it would always be lacking something, two things, two people. Sighing, Kid fell back onto his bed, and thought, both in his head, as well as out loud.

"How could they have perished like that?" He wondered. "They knew how to fight without me, and together, they were a very strong team. How could just another murderer come along and defeat them, just like that?" It was a mind-boggling question that no one knew the answer to. Who had killed them, why is there no evidence, no trace of the killer, why did it have to be such a wonderful pair of siblings? These, too, were questions without an answer. It was...sad. But Kid was always thinking about them, now, the twins. They were his family, his friends, his weapons, his sisters, and he loved them as all of those things, and now, they were gone without any reason. "The only ones who could have beaten them would have had to be skilled. No simple Kishin could have done it. And there is always the possibility that a meister and weapon had done it. That cannot be ruled out." Kid was more than determined to find out just who the killer was, and was determined to find them himself, if it was the last thing he did.

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><p><em>Yes, there is not much, so far, but you'll want to know how it ends, trust me.<em>

_Reviews are nice, and all, so, keep that in mind. ;D_

_Thanks for reading!  
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	2. Death the Kid

_Chapter two!_

_This will show you the pattern that will occur, but it won't be too repetitive, I promise!_

_So, I don't own Soul Eater, butimsureyoualreadyknewthat. ;p_

_Enjoy!  
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><p>The day had not yet come when Kid was to find the killer of his weapons, when he was told to give up.<p>

"Kid, you really need to stop this," Maka told him, watching his tired eyes scan whatever information he had managed to find about the twins' case. She sighed, letting Tsubaki try and speak to him.

"Kid, Maka's right, you haven't slept in days, you're exhausted,"

"I will do whatever I have to in order to make sure that Liz and Patty's deaths are not in vain,"

"But what happens if you _do _find whoever it was? You won't be able to do anything about it if you're tired, like this. Come on, we'll take you to your room so you can sleep,"

"Seriously, Kid," Black Star jumped in, leaning on his elbow, which he had placed right on top of Kid's things. "Let's go, I'm sure that a few hours of sleep won't delay your progress, let's go!" He threw his hands in the air with a smile, urging Kid to get a move on with his awesomeness. But, Kid wouldn't budge. Then, Soul stepped in.

"Alright, Kid, let's move," He grabbed Death the Kid by one of his skinny arms, and tried to haul him away from the desk. Kid tried to wriggle out of his grip, which only made things a little harder for the annoyed Soul. "Black Star, help me with this, will 'ya?" Black Star jumped at the opportunity, grabbing Kid's other arm and dragging him away. Maka and Tsubaki followed, trying to keep Kid from squirming out of the way. At one point, Kid had somehow managed to get free, and that's when Maka took the moment to hit him right in the face, making him spin and fall to the ground, out cold. Then, after making sure he was still alive, all four of them lifted Kid to his room, where Black Star and Soul did their best to get him in pajamas, but it took a long time. They had no idea how hard it was to dress a seemingly lifeless human being until that night. But when they were finished, the four excused themselves, and headed for their own homes, waving good-bye when the time came.

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><p>Kid slept like a baby on NyQuil, that night, and awoke the following day refreshed, confused, and sore. But he sat awake in his bed for a while, thinking about the night before. Were his friends in the wrong for tearing him away from finding out who killed Liz and Patty so he could sleep, or were they in the <em>right <em>for tearing him away from finding out who killed Liz and Patty so he could sleep? He didn't find an answer for that, and instead, began his day with showering and checking the symmetry of each household object he owned. When he was finished, Death the Kid then proceeded to eat (a perfectly symmetrical breakfast), and then he went back to his desk, brooding over the case once again. Thankfully, it was Saturday, so he was missing nothing at the DWMA. Later on, though, Maka, Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki came by, and they had Chrona with them.

"Hey, Kid, how are you?" Chrona asked in his normal, shy tone, using every bit of his will to make himself smile and be friendly. There was something strange about Chrona, well, stranger than usual, to Kid. He was a lot more...shifty, fidgety, and he wasn't really making eye contact. But, ignoring it for the time being, Kid greeted him and the others as he normally would, inviting them all inside. There were a few moments of chatter between them all before Kid tried to wander off toward his desk, which was still littered with pictures and notes and other papers. But, Maka caught him just before he slipped away, grabbing him by the back of his shirt collar.

"Oh, no you don't,' She said, dragging him back into the living room. "No more of that stuff. You are going to sit here, and be social with the rest of us." She flung him in front of her, and stood in his path until he sat down.

"Alright, fine," He had given up. Maka wasn't one anyone really wanted to get into an argument with, and after all, Maka _was _the one who punched Kid out cold the night before, with little effort involved. He tensed up at recalling the previous night's escapade.

"So, then," Soul said once Maka had sat down. "What're we doing today?"

"You mean you all came over without the _slightest _idea of what to do?" Kid said loudly, for some reason surprised.

"Of _course _not!" Black Star exclaimed. "We only wanted to get you away from that stupid desk of yours, so we came over here to bug you! So, pick something to do!"

"Oh, Black Star, don't be so rude. We did just _come _over, after all," Tsubaki said, trying to settle down her meister. Like that ever worked. Kid sighed, letting his head fall forward.

"You guys are something else," He said. Most of them just laughed, and then continued, Maka saying something first.

"So, c'mon Kid, what do you want to do?"

"Well, I would really rather-"

"That does _not _involve dwelling over the twins' case file?" She added, as if continuing off of the same sentence. Kid narrowed his eyes at her, but she only smiled with a giggle attached. Again, Kid sighed.

"How does a walk around town sound?" He said, having nothing else prepared.

"Where would we be going?" Chrona asked, nervously. Just then, Ragnorok popped out and added a bit of his own influence.

"Let's go find a kid and steal his lunch money for candy!"

"Ragnorok..."

"I don't know," Kid answered Chrona's question. "I suppose we could just walk around, somewhere and nowhere at the same time. Just _walk."_

"Hm. I like that idea," Tsubaki said with a smile. Black Star agreed loudly, with some added comment that had to do with "even those who are meant to surpass God have to take a leisurely stroll every once in a while." And, since no one else had any other ideas or objections, the six (or seven, if you count Ragnorok as a separate person) of them left Kid's house, and went off into town for a fun day of terrorizing the local citizens. Black Star, of course, was the one who did the _most _terrorizing.

But as the day went on, each of them slowly dropped off for their own reasons. First it was Maka, who said she needed to do laundry, and Chrona decided to go with her so he didn't have to walk by himself, and a while after that, Tsubaki left to make sure she had done her daily chores, and shortly after that, Black Star and Soul left to return to their partners after they had walked with Death the Kid back to his own home. They waved good-bye, and as soon as Black Star and Soul were out of sight, Kid went right inside to loom over the case once more. But what was there left for evidence? There was nothing. No evidence was found, no fingerprints, no traces of DNA at the scene, no tracks...nothing. Only the murdered twins, and their blood all around them. How could a killer be found on _nothing?_

Was all of the work Death the Kid had done to try and find the killer pointless? There was nothing, no where to start. There hadn't even been any suspects. Kid was beginning to wonder, in the back of his mind, whether or not it was even worth the time to continue a possibly helpless search...

"Of course it's worth it..." He said out loud. "It is more than worth the sleepless nights, and hopeless searching...as long as it means that I find their killer." He rarely spoke the twins' names, they were only referred to as "them," and "they," never as Liz and Patty. Not anymore. "So," He reasoned, after a long silence. "Ill just have to find suspects myself."

He then began lining up whatever bits of information he could in order to find a place to start. Questions, scenes, events, came in and out of his mind, but slowly, one by one, each of them were either debunked and thrown to the side, or they were useful and put into a pile where they were later lined up into sensible information. Finally, after several hours, Kid had found a decent lead. Although, it was unlikely, and it would be incredibly hard to clean up.

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><p>At school, Kid went to his father and asked to call each weapon who had some form of a blade when they went into weapon form, and their meisters were also allowed to come. At first, Lord Death was skeptical, and questioned his son.<p>

"But, why, Kid? What would be the point behind all of this?"

"Because, Dad, the ones who killed them had incredible skill, beyond that of a regular human being. They were shown to have wounds on their bodies that could only come from a blade. Meisters and their weapons are the only ones who could have beaten them,"

"Oh, son..." Lord Death sounded sad for his only son, losing his weapons as suddenly as he did. "Okay, just make sure nothing gets out of hand~" Now, his tone was cheerful as it normally was, and it confused Kid that much more. His father was...something else. Sighing, he thanked his father, and made plans to call each student. He had arrived a few hours early, and went around telling each professor what was going to happen.

"I am going to need you to give an announcement at the beginning of each class that I will be calling in each team of students who has some form of bladed weapon. I may explain it to you later, and I have already received approval from my father. Thank you."

Of course, the professors were all skeptical about Kid's sudden action, but, if it had Lord Death's approval, they assumed it must be for something rather important. Or, was it? Lord Death was one strange figure, after all. Most people would picture Lord Death as a scary, cold, hard-ass of a person with little mercy in his heart, but...he was exactly the opposite, in reality...

Soon enough, the school day had begun, and when Kid was standing by inside the first classroom of the day, and as the professor read the announcement, Kid scanned the room to see what reactions there were. Some were worried, some were bored and not listening, and others were alert, questioning it. So, it was the same as any other important thing to happen at any school, and at any given time. Sighing, Kid called for all of the described students to make their way to him, where they then followed him out the door. He had no time to secure a private room to conduct searches in, so he would have to deal with the empty hallways. The first question was the hardest to ask, but it was the most important.

"Do any of you know the twin sisters, Liz and Patty Thompson?" They each looked at each other, some conversing with their partners about whether or not they knew a person by either name. None of the students in that particular group had, and Kid dismissed all nine of them, thanking the professor for her cooperation. He then went on to the next classroom.

Anyone who had known the Thompson sisters were to stay for further questions, while those who did not know were sent back to class. Some of his questions, though, were always hard to ask, no matter how many times he had to say them.

Do you know who Liz and Patty Thompson are?

When was the last time you saw them?

So, then were you or were you not present at their funeral?

Do you know how they died, and do you know anything about their murder?

And if each question was answered in the pattern similar to 'Yes, recently (or prior to their death), yes (or no, depending on the reason behind it), and vague knowledge concerning,' then Kid would take them outside the school's entrance, and would ask the weapon to change forms, where, then, Kid would inspect the blade they had. He had gathered that the blade he was looking for was long, long enough to penetrate two human beings swiftly. Most of the blades Kid saw, though, were not long enough. And, at one point, Death the Kid was face-to-face questioning Soul, Maka, Black Star, and Tsubaki.

"Kid, what's the meaning of this?" Maka accused, after the other students were excused. "What are you doing?"

"I am trying to find the killer of my weapons," He stated coldly.

"You know that we loved Liz and Patty just as much as you did! Why would any of us kill them?"

"That is why I have to be sure, Maka," Kid said, looking her dead in the eyes. "If I even leave my friends out, who knows? They could be the ones behind it. I cannot rule out any possibilities. Now, listen to me, Soul and Tsubaki, change into your weapon selves," Looking at their meisters and then to the ground, Soul scoffed and changed, Tsubaki following his lead with a peep. "Tsubaki, since you have more than one form, I will need you to take each one for me when I ask,"

_"Okay..." _Obviously, her smoke-bomb form was not it. Her kunai and chain form was not long enough, even if the chain was used to bind the two together, the blade she had was not long enough to kill them both, and the same was with the ninja sword form. The enchanted sword form, though, was questionable. But, after a little more searching, Kid concluded that it was not Tsubaki. He told them to return to class, and when Black Star objected, he said that he had approval of all the DWMA staff, and after a rant, Black Star lost interest and went back with Tsubaki walking at his side. Now, Soul's blade, was definitely a possibility. Then again, the two others he had found with scythes were possibilities, as well. It seemed that scythes were the number one suspicion. And after bickering with Maka about the reason behind Kid's motives, she was sent back to class, and Kid's search went on. By the end of the day, he had nine people who were possible killers. But, Kid still had one more, special person to question.

Down in the basement halls of the DWMA, Chrona sat in his stone room, loafing around, as he normally did. Yes, Chrona had been brought before Kid earlier, but he was dismissed due to his nervousness around others. Now that he was alone, he would be far easier to question. He had given Kid so many strange looks that day he came over...and those acts never left Kid's mind.

"Chrona?" Death the Kid knocked on the metal door.

"Yes?" The pink-haired feeble boy opened the door for him, and Kid went inside without invitation. Then, Ragnorok made his appearance.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, _barging _in like that?"

"I apologize," He said, without any real sorrows behind it, of course.

"So, Kid, what brings you here?" Chrona asked, as nervous as ever. Kid looked up at him, sternly, causing the frail boy to only fidget more. He slowly came towards Chrona with each question.

"You were friends with Liz and Patty, weren't you?"

"Y-yeah, of course I was, I, we were...friends,"

"But you didnt come to their funeral. Why?"

"Uh..." Chrona's voice trembled, and that's when Ragnorok butted in.

"We didn't go because it would have been boring!" He said, loudly. "Those girls were kind of annoying anyway,"

"Ragnorok, don't say that, that's mean!" Chrona complained, trying to shoo Ragnorok away, before giving his own answer. "I, well, we didn't end up going because, well, we, uh, didn't know really what to do...I was...nervous..."

"Nervous?" Kid raised an eyebrow. "Why were you so nervous? It was a final good-bye to your friends, why would you _not _attend, Chrona?"

"B-because I, I didn't know what-I don't know how to deal with funerals, and, and I was, just, nervous-"

"Don't know how to deal with it? Why? You seem to have dealt with a lot more, recently, so why not the funeral of your friends? You didn't really go because you were the one who killed them, weren't you? Chrona, answer me. You killed them both, didn't you? I know you did, don't deny it, you murderer." Chrona was backed into a corner, his hands were up in defense, and he was sliding down the wall behind him, trying to speak but not being able to. He shook his head, and mumbled over and over "it wasn't me, it wasn't me I promise," but it took Kid a lot more convincing. Chrona was in tears, and he was still not backing down. Then, having heard enough, Ragnorok finally snapped.

"Hey, you! I may not like this kid I'm stuck with, but I know when he's tellin' the truth! You back off you little brat! If I had killed somebody I would admit it, quit pestering, you trash!" Then, Kid got the picture. Leaving the room without another word, he could still hear Chrona's cries down the hallway. He wasn't sure whether or not he felt bad about it, but now, his one hope was gone. It wasn't Chrona and Ragnorok.

On the way home, Death the Kid had decided to take a longer way, in order to think more. But almost as soon as he started his detour, he felt like something was around him, and suddenly, no one was on the streets. He was by himself, with something lurking close.

Then, as Kid neared an alleyway, he heard and saw pieces of gravel fall from a higher position, and when he looked up, there was a dark figure shadowed against the moon. It's eyes were gleaming ominously, and as it leaped down in front of Kid, the figure's arm changed into a blade. It flipped in the air to gain momentum, but struck the ground instead of his target, after Kid had jumped out of the way. Yes, he had no weapons to defend or fight with, but at least Kid held reflexes. Those would keep him alive, hopefully. Then the figure moved for another attack, retracting it's previous blade and forming another one out of his leg as he kicked, then another and another as he kept up with each of Kid's steps. Eventually, the figure had backed Kid into a wall, and there was no way out. It was hard to see, the moon was covered with clouds, now, and he was more than tired of the continual dodging he had to do. But now, there was no escape.

"I cant...do anything..." He said to himself, as the figure came closer. He saw the shine as he figure retracted all other blades and closed him in a cage of them. There were easily twenty blades on each side of Kid, and all of them were coming from the body of the figure in front of him. Then, Kid realized that something about the figure was familiar. The clouds were moving out of the way of the moon, and it's light was now shining down on the figure. Kid's eyes widened as he saw a familiar face. "It was-" The sound of ripping flesh made an entrance, and the slow seeping and dripping of Kid's blood echoed in the alley around him. Coughing and spitting blood, he looked into the eyes of his killer. "...you..." He fell to the ground with a thud, and watched through hazy eyes as the figure laughed against the light of the moon, and then disappeared behind closed eyelids.

The heap that was the dead meister, soaking in his own blood, growing cold and ever lifeless, lay the late Death the Kid.

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><p><em>Like it?<em>

_I liked writing it._

_Reviews are nice, and I like speculation as to who YOU think the killer could be. _

_Who knows? I might have already given it away. _

_._

_Ill update soon!_

_Until then, happy days, to you!  
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	3. Black Star & Tsubaki Nakatsukasa

_Yeah! Sorry I took so long. Internet trouble._

_But! Now you've got another chapter, so good thing, eh?_

_And, if any of you noticed, I changed the rating from T to M for all of the violent killing and stuff. _

_So, enjoy!_

_This ought to confuse whatever speculations you may have about who the killer is. ._

_And, I don't own Soul Eater. I have to throw that in there.  
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><p>"That can't be right," Tsubaki said in her normal, worried voice. But Lord Death was silent.<p>

They were all gathered in the Death room, Lord Death, Spirit, Maka, Black Star, Soul and Tsubaki. Lord Death had called the students there to tell them of the news. After all, Kid had meant a lot to them, but none of them could even try to grasp what Lord Death was feeling...his own son was murdered only hours ago. Death the Kid, the son of Lord Death himself, dead, killed. Spirit sighed.

"Yes, Tsubaki, unfortunately, it is. We would never lie about something like this..."

Nothing was said, for a long time, after that.

They all stood there, in shock, in sorrow.

Not even Lord Death said a word, not for a very long time.

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><p>Kid's father had chosen to hold only a small burial ceremony, one where only those who were close to his son would be welcomed, behind the DWMA school building. He remained on the property, which allowed him to wish his son a final good-bye. There were only eight living people at the scene, excluding those who had the troubling task of burying yet another murdered teenager. Naturally, Lord Death came to see his son's coffin buried, and Spirit came at his side. Maka, Soul, and Tsubaki and Black Star came in one group, meeting Lord Death and his Death Scythe, Maka's father, who had arrived a while before. Again, no one spoke. Instead, they held their roses, and placed them onto the closed casket, one by one, their tears running down their faces in silence. Never before, had any of them ever witnessed such a silence from Lord Death. He held himself low, and he radiated sadness, just absolute sadness. It was hard to look at him. The eyes of his mask were in the shape of sorrow, drooping down, and never repairing themselves.<p>

Lord Death remained that way for a very long time. He would not see anyone, not even Spirit, for even longer. He had just lost his only son in the world, so suddenly. He just wanted to be left alone.

But none of Kid's friends were holding up any better.

Maka lost focus on a lot of things in school, her mind was always on the murders of three of her closest friends. Soul was no different, loafing around with no motivation. Tsubaki cried, over and over, and when she thought she had no more tears left to shed, more came. Even Black Star, who was always one to try and keep the mood up, found himself unable to sleep at night. He hardly spoke, and he, out of every one of them, took the longest to recover, aside from Lord Death himself.

Everyone was in the home of Soul and Maka, trying to cheer themselves up, once again. Now, another precious part of the family was gone, and _he _wasn't going to come back, either. Tsubaki had broken into tears, and could not stop her weeping. Maka, too, was crying, trying to keep herself from crying too hard. Black Star began to shed his own tears, when he glanced at his partner to see the tears dripping from her hands, and feeling her body shake with the effort to cry. Soul, even, was found with tears running down his cheeks, leaving behind the glossy trails on his face.

"I don't understand it," Maka said. "How could this happen...?"

"I don't understand it, either," Tsubaki wept, sniffling and sighing.

"Three people...in the past two and a half months...how is something like that even possible?" Soul had been lying down, but now, he was sitting up, and staring at the floor. He looked from there, to the ceiling, then across each face until he made it to Black Star's. It was heart breaking to see such a strong and flamboyant and bright-spirited guy in a state like that. It was truly painful to watch...

Three people.

Two weapons, and their meister.

The twins from off the street, and the son of Death himself.

Gone.

Forever.

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><p>A month had passed since the newest death. Most thoughts about them had left the heads of those effected, and Lord Death had started making appearances again, although he wasn't really in the highest of spirits, which was understandable. Black Star had recovered, and when asked about the reason why he was hit so hard by Kid, harder than the rest, his only answer was, "Because he was the only one strong enough to beat me," and then the memories of Kid, Liz and Patty's first day of school at the DWMA came to all of their heads. Black Star trying to wield Soul as a weapon, as the both of them took on Kid, not expecting him to be such a hard opponent, and, then, getting their butts kicked. But, there was always a laugh when they recalled how Kid fainted and had a nosebleed when he realized his hair had been cut. Then, there would be the same quiet, sad, but happy silence in the room.<p>

Eventually, everyone was at, well, somewhat normal levels, but there was always a lingering sadness, as well as a shadowing fear.

"Hey, do you guys want to come with me?" The little bit of giggling that went on in Soul and Maka's house stopped, as Maka was heading toward the door to leave to get groceries. "I...don't want to go alone," Exchanging glances for mere moments, the four of them, Soul, Black Star, Chrona, and Tsubaki nodded, getting up from their seats and putting on coats. Maka sighed quietly with relief.

"Thanks, guys," She said.

"It's not a problem," Tsubaki replied.

"Yeah, I'd be kinda freaked out about going out by myself, too, if I were you," Black Star said, putting on nothing to shield himself from the cold. "Especially with that killer out there, still."

"Mhm." Soul nodded, zipping up his jacket and heading out the door. Everyone else followed his lead, Chrona and Maka leaving the room last. Locking the door, Maka took Chrona by the hand and lead him down the hallway, where everyone else was already ahead of them. But Chrona, for some reason, pulled away from Maka when she touched him. He held his hands close together against his chest, shaking his head.

"Are you okay?" Maka asked, keeping distance between everyone else and them, so no one had to be involved in case there _was_ something wrong. Chrona made no head movements, only dropped his eyes.

"I, I guess so," He said.

"You guess so? C'mon, Chrona. If something's wrong, you know you can always tell me,"

"I...know,"

"Then why don't you tell me what the problem is, hm?" There was a few moments of silence between the two of them while Chrona tried to think of a correct answer. That was always a hard thing to do, for him, growing up around a person who didn't care about his thoughts or feelings.

"It's...because, before Kid was killed, he tried to make me say that I was the one who killed Liz and Patty," Maka's eyes narrowed, then widened.

"You, didn't, did you?"

"No! Of course I didn't..." He wailed. "But Kid thought that I did. He was yelling at me, trying to get me to admit something that wasn't my fault, and he wouldn't stop, either. He kept yelling at me until I cried, and, then...he's found dead..." Maka was going to say something, but she didn't know what it was she could say. She kept her mouth shut as Chrona continued. "I feel so guilty about it, almost like it's my fault, even though I _know _it's not, I just...I don't know what to do, Maka," He looked at her with pleading eyes, but she only sighed and took him by the wrist with one hand, and then held his hand with her other one. She looked into his dark eyes when she spoke, making sure he was listening.

"Look, Chrona," She started. "We all feel bad about Kid, and Liz and Patty. We all feel like there was something we could have done, even though, in reality, there wasn't really much we could do. It's not your fault, it's not _any_one's fault. So, don't feel bad about it, okay?" She gave him a warm smile, and then urged him to get his spirits up so they could have fun and laugh with the others, who were still ahead. She pulled him along her side as they jogged up to the rest of their friends, apologizing about their distance.

Finally, the groceries were purchased, with much arguing from Black Star (he kept asking Maka if she could buy him chips, cookies, candies, and other sweets, upon which requests she had to keep refusing), and they began the trek home. Black Star and Tsubaki broke off from the rest of them to return to their own home, and Soul and Maka walked Chrona back to the DWMA so he didn't have to go alone, and that's when the final two went to their own home.

"It's cold in here," Maka said, coming in through the door and unzipping her jacket.

"Not really," Soul grumbled. "Seems to be the same temperature here as it was when we left."

"Does it? It might just be me,"

"It probably is. You being so sensitive to cold. Pfft. _Women._ Always cold..."

"Hey!" Maka cried out, looking in the cupboard.

"What is it, now?" Soul asked, sounding annoyed, or, sounding the same as he always did.

"My cereal's gone!"

"Oh, yeah," Soul said, waving his hand in the air. "I ran out of mine, so I ate yours for breakfast this morning,"

"But the box was brand-new! How could you eat that much cereal for breakfast?"

"'Ya know when Black Star was over this morning? He had a bowl, too. Actually, he had five. I had two, myself. We ate when you were in the shower. Oh, and Black Star had another when you and Tsubaki went to get Chrona." Maka stood with her mouth open, jaw dropped in awe. That cereal was brand new, and just for her. And Black Star had eaten it all, then asked for treats at the store.

"That little...! I _swear _if I _ever _get my hands on him, he'll get the _beating _of his _life...!_" The meister growled, gritting her teeth and uttering threats. Soul sighed and told her to stop complaining, because, "it was only cereal." But that didn't change the fact that Maka's breakfast for the next few days wouldn't be what she planned. She had bought the cereal special for herself. Stupid Black Star.

Meanwhile, at Tsubaki and Black Star's home, Black Star was hanging from a bar on the ceiling, his legs hooked through it, doing mid-air crunches. He was counting them out loud, while Tsubaki was making dinner for the two of them.

"One-hundred sixty-three! One-hundred sixty-four! One-hundred sixty-five!" He said the numbers fast as he worked, not even breaking a sweat. Tsubaki, every once in a while, would poke her head out of the kitchen and watch her meister, yelling, "Go, Black Star!" and then returning to her work. Once Black Star reached two-hundred fifty, he switched positions on the bar and did pull-ups, counting each one loudly and quickly. After pull-ups came squats, and after that, there was push-ups. Then, there was jogging in place for thirty minutes. It was a nightly routine, for the both of them. Black Star would work himself hard, while Tsubaki made a feast's worth of food for them both (mostly Black Star).

"Okay, the food's ready!" Everything was set out on their table, just in time. Black Star's workout was finished and he was ready to eat. He dove into it all each night like a starving lion, serving himself everything there was and then having seconds, and thirds, if there was enough. There was rarely any food as left-overs, the meister usually ate it all.

"Ahhh~" Black Star sighed, his stomach full to the brim and beyond. He got up from his chair quickly, to try and run off, but Tsubaki caught him by the back of the shirt.

"Don't forget, Black Star, it's your night to do the dishes!" She smiled and dropped him on the other side of her, where she then raced across the house and into the bathroom, locking the door. Black Star banged on it hopelessly.

"No, Tsubaki! That's not fair!"

"Yes it is," She said from the other side. "Last night _I _did the dishes, and now to_night, you _do the dishes! It's exactly fair, Black Star!" She had a smile on her face, and even her tone communicated that.

"Oh, man..." After a long time of bickering and complaining, Black Star stared at the piles of dishes that were in the sink, detesting them. It was like a stand off between the inanimate dishes, and the boy who's brain acted like that of an inanimate dish. He saw himself taking the hose from outside, bringing it inside, and spraying the dishes until they looked pretty clean, and rushed out the door to grab the hose. He came back inside cackling, and just as he was about to fire it up, his mind simulated the outcome.

Tsubaki would come out of the bathroom, freshly clean, to find somewhat-clean dishes, and a sopping wet kitchen. She would call for him, who would be soaked with the evidence of water, and then he would have to clean it all up by himself.

"Not a good idea..." He grumbled, slouching and dropping the hose. Sighing, he sauntered over to the sink, and began the long process of washing the dishes. One by one, he had to soap them, scrub them, rinse them, inspect them, and if they were still dirty, scrub until it was gone, and then rinse and put on the counter to dry. He sighed with each finished dish, wishing it was the last one that had to be washed. And the pile didn't really seem to get any smaller for a long time... "I hate dishes," Black Star grunted, stacking another clean plate on the counter. "My hands always get so _pruney..."_ He took his hands out of the water and looked at his gross, water-logged fingertips and frowning.

Eventually, though, the dishes were done, and Black Star was relieved.

"Yeah!" He said to himself, loudly. "I'm finally done!" He wiped his hands clean and started for his room, when he stepped on something. Stopping in mid-stride and looking down, there was the hose, a few drops of water dripping out. Slouching and sighing, he picked it up. "I'd better take this back outside before Tsubaki sees it, and thinks I had any ideas..." Tossing it on the grass to the side of their house, where it had been before, Black Star looked around. It was a nice night, one of those perfect night settings that makes you want to sleep outside. Smiling and stretching, he fell back on the cool grass and looked at the grinning moon above him. "I wonder why that thing has never scared me," He wondered aloud. But that was the only thing he said to himself. Mentally, he didn't want to ruin the perfect night with all of his chatter, and shut himself up. Closing his eyes, Black Star laid on the grass for a long time, almost falling asleep.

His eyes snapped open and between his hands he caught a shining blade, only an inch or two away from hitting him in the forehead. Twisting his body out of the way, he tried to bring his attacker into the light of the moon, but whoever it was, they didn't want to be seen, and stayed in the shadows created by his house and by the buildings around it. They were hard to see in the shadows. Laughing and jumping in his place, Black Star taunted him.

"C'mon, let' go! You don't think you can beat the one destined to surpass God, do you!" He charged his attacker, throwing a punch and a series of kicks, all of which were either dodged or blocked with a new blade. But that didn't deter Black Star from fighting, if anything, it only stirred him more. He shouted taunts and mocked the attacker, but was caught off guard for a second when he lost his footing and slipped on the grass beneath his feet. The attacker's eyes shown in the moonlight, and a long blade came out of the shadow that he hid in and cut Black Star's upper side, Black Star barely dodging the blow that must have been aimed at his heart. Squealing and jumping further away, the weaponless meister felt the wound at his side stinging from both the cold night air and from the sweat on his body he couldn't wash off after dinner. He could feel the blood running from the gash, and in his heart, Black Star was panicked.

Another, long blade came out of the shadows at tried to strike him, and they came with astonishing speed, such a speed that would be impossible for any normal weapon to have. And somehow, the attacker was smart enough to bring Black Star back into the shadows without him realizing it, making it only easier to attack him. The blades came faster, now, so fast that Black Star had trouble dodging each one. It seemed like his only hope was to get out of the shadows and into the moonlight. But that was easier said than done, of course.

And, in the mind of Black Star, the battle had lasted a long time, easily twenty minutes, he would have said. But really, it only lasted about five, maybe seven minutes, at the absolute most. And each time he stumbled closer to the moonlight, the attacker would simply create a curved blade that formed around the back of Black Star, keeping him away from the light. It was strange, even in the dark, the shining eyes and grin of the attacker could be seen. It had amazing speed in it's blades...Black Star couldn't get over it. And eventually, the meister was tired, and his movements started to slow, which made the job easier for the attacker to fulfill. At one point, Black Star had been slashed four times in a row, and when he lost his footing and fell back, a high cackling came from whoever it was attacking him, a menacing, evil, murderous laughter. And when Black Star had no strength left in him to do anything else, the murderer came out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Out of tired eyes, Black Star looked at the person ahead of him, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"No way," He uttered, trying to crawl away as blades closed him in. The figure behind him only cackled once again and answered in a horrifyingly familiar voice,

"Who said you ever had the power to surpass me?"

* * *

><p>Tsubaki stepped out of the bathroom, calling for her meister saying it was his turn for the bath. But when he didn't answer, she went looking around their small home. He wasn't in the kitchen, the dishes were done, and he wasn't getting any snacks, and he wasn't in his room, but there was no note telling of where he went, <em>if <em>he went anywhere. Frowning with worry, Tsubaki rushed to her room and got dressed as fast as she could, and headed out the door, which had been left open. She rushed down the stairs that lead to their home, and was about to call for Black Star, when her words faded after her hand ran over something cold and wet on the rail. Stopping, and looking at her hand, her eyes became wide. On the palm of her hand there was a spot of blood, looking even scarier in the eerie moonlight. Above her, blood was dripping from the teeth of the moon, which meant only murder. Now afraid, she savagely wiped her hand on her clothes and called for Black Star. She stepped slowly, and when she saw splashes of blood on the side of the building, she almost screamed. Putting her clean hand over her mouth to silence herself, her eyes welled up with tears as she descended the stairs. Then, there, her eyes fell upon the bloody and decapitated body that was Black Star's. She shuddered and let out an ear piercing scream, rushing down to the side of her dead meister, but maintaining a distance. It was horrifying to see, a body without a head, with blood everywhere. And it was scarier when she couldn't find his missing head. Screaming and whimpering with fear, detest, disgust, devastation and confusion, she felt the presence of someone behind her. Shaking with fear, a hand coated with blood was laid on her bare shoulder. Tsubaki let out a loud scream, but it was cut off to a sickening gargling and choking when the murderer sliced her throat.

The malicious cackling was the last thing Tsubaki had the pleasure of hearing.

* * *

><p><em>Like it? I did. I had loads of fun.<em>

_Reviews are nice. _

_I always like hearing what you guys think, and Id LOVE to hear who you think the killer may be, whether or not your choice has changed. _

_Anyway, Ill update soon._

_Ciao!  
><em>


	4. Blow to the Heart, Rack of the Brain

_Meh. It took me a while to get this uploaded, I know. But, here you are. I can tell you, I'm almost done. Maybe...two, three chapters more, and that's it. So, we're closing in on the finale! Are you exited? I sort of am._

_In all honesty, I really don't know how I am going to approach my ending. _

_Oh well. You'll just have to keep guessing about the killer. :D_

_So, I don't own Soul Eater, or any other thing that has to do with it.  
><em>

_I'm sure you all know that, though._

* * *

><p>Tsubaki and Black Star's bodies were discovered in the early morning by a woman, who was on her way to work. She, of course, was horrified to see the bloodied, headless body and sliced throat of two teenagers, and rushed to report it. As with the other murders that had been recently happening, there was no solid evidence to work with to find who was responsible.<p>

When Soul and Maka were made aware, they hadn't even woken up to get ready for school. And when they heard the news, Maka walked, alone, to the DWMA, to tell Chrona what had happened. He, too, was saddened and fearful. It was even worse when the three were asked to identify what was left of the bodies. The first one that was to be identified was Tsubaki. The three, Soul, Maka, and Chrona (and Ragnorok, he wouldn't let his opinion be ignored) had to look away from the photo that had been laid before them. Chrona gasped and covered his eyes, whimpering, and nodding, whispering "that's her, that's Tsubaki," and Maka's eyes filled with tears. Soul had no different reaction, closing his eyes and turning his head at the sight of it. But they had all confirmed that it was Tsubaki in the picture. And after seeing the reaction the investigator had received after only a photo of a friend with a sliced throat (the bodies had been taken in, were cleaned up and were currently lying on cold, metal surfaces somewhere in the investigative building), the investigator detested having to show them, and ask them, if the body of the "male teen they found" was Black Star.

Chrona could not look. He parted his fingers from his eyes only once, for a mere moment, and shook with fear before shielding himself again. Even Ragnorok was disturbed, he didn't crack any jokes or make any fun of it. Maka, upon viewing, whined the words, "Oh my God," and forced herself away with a few fast nods, saying that, yes it was him. Soul grunted and pushed back his tears. What was shown in the photo was definitely Black Star, or, what was left of him.

His head was never found during the investigation.

The bodies remained in the custody of the law for a long time, longer than the rest. But in the end, the bodies were cremated, and then let loose in the air from the highest point of the DWMA, the place Tsubaki Nakatsukasa and Black Star first met.

* * *

><p>Soul and Chrona and Maka were called to the Death room by Lord Death, two days after the death of Tsubaki and Black Star. He, for one, wanted to make sure that they were holding up alright, with all of the murdering happening to their friends, and two, he wanted to see if they had any speculation on who the murderer was. Lord Death, though, was not feeling up to his old sorts, only well enough to accept company. Because of that, Spirit was also in the room.<p>

"Hello, Soul, Maka, Chrona. How are you all?" There was no answer right away, and all three were looking at the floor.

"Not as good as we would like," Maka said, sadly. Lord Death sighed.

"Yes, I can imagine so. After all, you kids have been through quite a lot, lately."

"Mhm," Maka nodded.

"How did the, well, events this morning and a few days ago turn out?" He was talking about the identifying and some minor questioning that had gone on, and in response, Chrona made a small, scared sound and held himself tightly, trying to forget all of the horrible images embedded in his memory. Soul only closed his eyes with rage at the killer, while Maka shuddered. It was a thing that all of them wished they could forget. But that was all the answer Death needed, and he moved on. "I'm sorry, kiddos, was it really that bad? Oh, you don't have to answer that one..."

"The only things they asked us this morning was when we saw them last, and other questions relating to 'suspects.'" Soul said.

"Oh, my," Lord Death returned.

"I don't think they've eliminated any of us from the prime suspect list, considering how Chrona was too much in shock to really answer anything, not that we blame him," He glanced at the frail boy, who was still scared out of his mind. Sure, he had seen some pretty horrible things during his time with Medusa, but none of the people he killed were his friends. Tsubaki and Black Star, Kid, and the twins were all like family to him, the boy who had no family until Maka came, and showed him how to trust and love people who care about him. Now, he had seen the headless body of Black Star, and the ragged throat of his weapon, in the same day. And those pictures were not going away. It was like they were stuck on his eyelids.

"Chrona," Maka whispered, slowly putting an arm around him in comfort. At first, he flinched and pulled away, then, realizing it was Maka, he threw his arms around her and clung to her as hard as he could, crying. While Maka tried to calm him, Soul and Lord Death kept up their conversation, only, Lord Death said a very unexpected statement after a short moment.

"Well, I might as well say it, now that we're being all honest here," Lord Death began, unmoving, as he usually was. "I think Black Star's death, and the conditions of it, were fitting for him." Chrona shuddered and Maka gasped, whipping her head in Death's direction. Soul's jaw dropped and he filled with rage, even Spirit was taken aback by Lord Death's words.

"Lord Death..." Spirit said his meister's name softly, as if about to reason with him. Then, Maka burst out.

"How could you even _say _something like that!" She demanded, letting go of Chrona and letting Soul be at his side. But Lord Death only stood silently as Maka raged. "Black Star was a friend, a _great _person, he was an _amazing _meister, and yeah, he was pretty full of himself, but _no _one deserves a death like that! _No one! _Black Star _lived _under the wing of the DWMA for his _entire life!"_

"But you see, Maka," Lord Death spoke, sternly, although without going past his normal tone. "Black Star had nothing but pride within him. Losing his head was, in short terms, a very fitting death for someone like him. He was stubborn, headstrong, and usually blinded by his pursuit to surpass everyone, and every_thing._" A short, and somewhat muffled chuckle came from Death before he continued. "He believed that he was strong enough to surpass a God like myself, even..." His voice was, well, it was cold, and heartless, which was unlike him. And after that, no one was able to say a word. Not Maka, not Soul, not even Spirit, could muster up the gusto to say anything to Lord Death, after a blow like that. The three teens left the Death room. Not even Maka gave Lord Death a respectful goodbye, not today. And probably not ever again.

"I...how could he even _say _something like that? How could _any_one...say something like that...?" Maka was sitting on the edge of a fountain, with Soul and Chrona at her side. None of them were able to think of anything else than what Death said about their friend. Ragnorok, even, couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, the kid was annoying as hell but you don't see _me _goin' around sayin' he de_served _that kind of death, 'ya know? If you ask me, Lord Death either has an evil twin, who said that about that Black Star kid, _or _he's gone _completely _insane," Of course, no one commented on his remarks. They all let him rant, and, eventually, he shut up. And soon enough, it was the time of day for Chrona to return to his room in the DWMA. Soul and Maka offered to walk him, but he declined, saying that he wanted to walk by himself. As the frail, pink-haired boy walked off, Soul spoke to Maka as they waved goodbye.

"He must be having the hardest time, out of all of us,"

"Yeah..."

"He just got to know everyone, and now they've all been killed."

"I wonder when we'll be murdered..." Maka's voice was mindless when she said those words, but even so, Soul whipped his head in her direction.

"What? Maka,"

"Think about it, Soul," She said, sternly. "Why hasn't anyone else but us, _our _friends, been found dead? Who could be killing all of us, and why?" She sighed. "I'm just...so numb, Soul. I don't care if I die, at this point. Everyone else has, so now it's just a matter of time, I guess," She started to walk off in the direction of home, leaving Soul a few steps behind her.

"Maka, what the hell are you _talking _about? We're not going to die, or be killed, or anything. Even if we were attacked, which is very unlikely, the two of us could take the guy. Trust me," She wasn't listening to his reason. Of course not, she was Maka Albarn, the most stubborn girl in all of Death City. And she had made up her mind, however limited of a spectrum it was in, she wasn't about to change her thoughts. The only thing she wanted was to lay in bed, and sleep forever. Soul, on the other hand, was determined to live through everything. Sure, he had thought about being the next victim, but he never really thought he was going to end up dead.

But there was always lingering doubt.

Black Star was dead, and he was one hell of a strong guy, even on his own, he was a handful and a half. Tsubaki, who had all of the courage in the world when she needed it, had also perished. Kid, now, he was the strongest willed of any of them. For all the sleepless nights he endured, just for a chance, the smallest hint of a _chance _at finding the killer of Liz and Patty...then, he had to fall, too. He was the flesh and blood of Lord Death himself, and he was killed just like his weapons before him. What was there to stop the chance of Soul and Maka from being next on the list? And what about Chrona? Surely, he was just as worried. The only people in the _world _who really cared about him were dropping off like day-old flies, after all.

"I'm just going to go to bed, Soul," Maka said as soon as they came in the house.

"You're not eating?" He questioned, watching her move. She was taking it hard, just like everyone else, and it was visible.

"I'm not hungry," And with that, her bedroom door closed, and Soul didn't really see much of her for the rest of the night. Once, she came out before Soul was about to go to bed, and sat next to him on the couch. "Soul," She started, sounding as if she just woke up. "Do you remember what Lord Death said?" He looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"How could I forget what he said?"

"Tell me exactly what you remember,"

"What? You know for yourself,"

"No, I want to see if you remember something. Tell me what you heard him say as close to exact as you can," Soul sighed. Maka wasn't looking at him, her eyes weren't even opened, and she sounded exhausted. Letting go of a breath, he recited his memory.

"He said 'Black Star had nothing but pride, and losing his head was a fitting way for him to die, he was stubborn and wanted to pass everyone.' That's what I remember." Maka didn't say anything right away, but she opened her eyes tiredly.

"Is that all?"

"Yeah,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Soul's eyes pierced her, he wanted to know what she was thinking. Then, he got his wish.

"Lord Death said that Black Star thought he could surpass anyone, and anything," She started, her voice getting stronger, less tired. "And after that, he laughed, and said 'he believed that he was strong enough to surpass a God like me,'" Soul only narrowed his eyes at her quotation, then she looked at him with confidence. "You get it, Soul?" She asked, concentrated. "Lord Death said that Black Star was stupid for trying to pass God, to pass someone like Lord Death _himself,_ which is _why _it was alright with Lord Death that Black Star ended up dying! Lord Death was perfectly _okay _with Black Star's death, and he sounded happy that he died, be_cause _of the fact that Black Star was so full of himself that he thought he could surpass a God like Lord Death!" She stopped when she saw a reaction from her weapon, who's gaze slowly moved across the floor.

"What are you saying, Maka?" Soul asked, not wanting to hear her answer.

"I think Lord Death wanted Black Star to die because he didn't like Black Star's disrespect towards Gods like Lord Death," Yep, that's what Soul didn't want to hear.

"How could Lord Death be the killer, Maka?"

"Think of it this way," She started again, almost excited at her possible breakthrough. "We defeated the Kishin, right?"

"Right,"

"So why does Lord Death need to stay in the DWMA when there's no more Kishin to keep under wraps?"

"..." Soul was going to respond, but his meister proved a very good point. So, she went on.

"Ex_actly! _He has no reason to stay, which means that he can go places, but, he would only be able to do it at night, when no one sees him! He has to keep the story that he has to stay at the DWMA all of the time, it makes _per_fect sense!"

"Alright, Maka," Soul closed his eyes, spotting an error in her little theory. "Sure, let's say Lord Death wanted Black Star dead. Well, he got his wish. Black Star's dead. But why, if he only wanted to kill him, would he kill Tsubaki, as well? And what about Liz and Patty and Kid? Why would he kill his own son?"

"Oh, I've already got all that figured out!" Soul sighed heavily, rolling his eyes and preparing for his meister's rolling words. "Lord Death killed Tsubaki because she saw the killer, which is him, so, not wanting any witnesses, he had no choice but to kill her before Black Star got to her, because then they'd be harder to fight. Or, he killed her afterwards, I don't know. And he killed Kid because he may have been coming close to finding out that his own father killed his weapons, and being Lord Death, I'm sure he's got a heartless side, which is how he was able to kill Kid. And of course, he killed Liz and Patty so Kid wouldn't have any weapons, and it was to weaken Black Star's defenses. Losing two friends is hard, so I'm sure Death thought it would be easier to kill him when he was weaker. Maybe he didn't originally plan to kill Kid, but when he came close, he had to. That's why," Her voice had been very excited and fluent during her entire explanation, which, kind of disgusted Soul. Shaking his head and uttering a "Whatever," he got up and went into his room. Maka, though, tried to follow him to tell him more of what she thought, but after he nearly yelled at her to stop, she fell quiet and returned to her room to sleep, totally confident in her words to Soul. She wanted him to think over them, because then maybe he would believe what she said.

* * *

><p>It was the middle of the night, and Chrona had been sleeping soundly and peacefully, until something woke him. He sat straight up as soon as he woke, as if his name was called. But, there was nothing there. Scared, Chrona hugged a pillow and listened for anything that may be coming for him. But even when there were no sounds, he couldn't help but feel like something was there, waiting. He could sense it, and after enough time of waiting, he started to call for Ragnorok.<p>

"Hey, Ragnorok...Ragnorok, please wake up..." At first, they were whispers, but as his paranoia grew, his voice got louder until he was speaking at a normal tone. Finally, the infused weapon known as Ragnorok complained about being woken up at such an hour, and how even someone like him needed beauty sleep. But Chrona didn't even crack a hint of a smile, and in a short moment, Ragnorok also felt that there was something wrong.

"Hey, Chrona, what's going on here?" He questioned. But the pink-haired boy only shook his head.

"I dunno, Ragnorok," He said, hugging his pillow tighter. "But, I'm afraid..."

"Oh, yeah? Afraid of what? There's nothing-" And then the sound of a metal door closing echoed through the stone walls, cutting off Ragnorok. "Whoever it is, if they're even headed this way, we can take 'em! I may be small but I pack a big punch!" And so they waited. But there were no footsteps, not a sound. And after a small while, Ragnorok had pretty much given up, saying that it must have been the wind, or something. "Maybe someone has been down here and they left, that's prob'ly it." Chrona shook his head again, unable to take his eyes off of the door. He was worried, he could feel something wrong. He wouldn't be able to sleep, he was too afraid, now.

"Something's wrong..." He whispered. Then he jumped out of bed, and Ragnorok transformed into a sword that fit perfectly in the palm of Chrona's hand. His metal door swung open at an incredible speed, one that shouldn't be possible for a metal door, the very moment Ragnorok finished changing. The sound of it smashing the brick wall rang through the small room, and a shadowed figure moved fast at Chrona. Making no sound, the small boy blocked the oncoming blade of his attacker, and held his ground as they pushed blades against each other. Slash after slash, and shining blade after shining blade, Chrona blocked the attacks. But not once did the figure let itself be seen. And it was moving around too fast for Chrona to get an idea of how tall they might be, or what they may have looked like. Whoever it was, they were sly and fast. Luckily, with Ragnorok and the black blood running in his veins, Chrona was turning out to be a formidable opponent.

Their battle went on for minutes, which feels like hours to the ones fighting, but not one drop of blood or sweat had been shed. Neither of them were tiring, neither of them were leaving any openings. It was just blow after blow, deflection after deflection.

But, of course, _some_one had to win.

Dawn was on the brink of approaching, which meant a revealed identity for the attacker. Knowing this, Chrona and Ragnorok tried to up their guard, determined to find out who had been the one behind all of the killing. But the attacker did the same, keeping on their toes and using nothing but strong and fast attacks. Each blade shone in the light, and as fast as it was thrust forward I was taken back and another one came forth.

And then there was the single blow that turned the battle around.

Chrona and Ragnorok used their scream resonance, and it left the attacker faltering for just the right second so Chrona could slash the body of his enemy. Trying to dodge in the shaking and ear-piercing sound, the attacker managed to get away with an arm wound. Letting out nothing more than a grunt at the moment of contact, the frail boy froze, in shock. Ragnorok spoke from his blade, questioning Chrona.

"What are you _doing, _just _standing_ there like that, huh? Get your game face on!" The boy shivered, the attacker grinned.

"B-but, it, it's, I...I don't understand...!" His voice was almost pleading, and when Ragnorok realized who they were fighting, and after remembering what he had seen them do, he shrunk back into Chrona, saying the battle was a pretty hopeless one. That, of course, only made the poor boy want to scream for mercy, while his suffering made the enemy begging to slash up his small body. In the end, Chrona was reduced to a play toy.

The attacker surrounded him with blades, first as much as nine inches away from his skin, and slowly but surely, those blades came closer and closer to tearing the fabric of his clothes. And when he let out a scream, the blades caved in all around Chrona, silencing him. With a grin, the killer removed the blades, but that was a mistake. The boy's head hung low, and he was standing straight up, only having tears in his clothing where the blades had cut. The black blood was one thing the killer overlooked, it was forgotten about. And Ragnorok's sudden move of courage had saved both his own, and Chrona's lives. Laughing, the black demon was forming himself back into the shape of a sword, when the both of them, meister and weapon, felt a sharp pain, and saw unconscious blackness.

* * *

><p><em>Any idea who the killer is?<em>

_I hope I'm spinning you around in circles._

_After all, there are only a few possibilities._

:]

_Tell me who you think it is. I'm always curious._

_Thanks for reading and all. Ill update ASAP. Bye, now!  
><em>


	5. The Black Blooded Terror

_Meh, sorry this took so long. Again, internet troubles. This chapter has actually been ready for like, a week or so, just I had no internet. _

_Anyway, here's the latest chapter for your enjoyment._

_The next chapter may or may not be the last one, but you'll know._

_I do not own Soul Eater, of course, and, well, that's all._

_Enjoy!  
><em>

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><p>The heart-rate monitor kept beeping in the same pattern over and over again, with no interruptions. Not even the soft talk of Soul and Maka could cover up the sad sound.<p>

Both Chrona and Ragnarok had fallen into a state of suspended consciousness, or, more simply put, a coma. How it happened was still a mystery to everyone around the small boy and the weapon inside of him, while the answer to the grand question, "Who was the killer?" was lurking in both Chrona and Ragnarok's heads, wanting to get out, _needing _to tell everyone who it was behind all of everyone's suffering. But that wasn't going to happen. There was no way to get either of them out of their shared coma, anyway. And the only evidence of it being the killer's fault in the first place was Chrona's ripped up clothes, which had clearly been slashed with the intent of killing.

"Who on earth would attack Chrona? He's already pretty helpless," Soul said softly, almost like he didn't want to wake up the sleeping boy. Maka shook her head and closed her eyes, clenching her fists.

"I don't know," She said, her voice getting back to its normal volume. "But whoever it is, they don't deserve to be left roaming around. They have gone too far, they've killed too many, and they've hurt us, all of us, too much to be forgiven. And now, I don't have any idea who it is...this person attacking us all. I just don't know anymore..."

"I take it you've dropped your theory about Lord Death?" Soul mocked his meister, grinning as he said his words. Maka managed a small giggle, herself.

"Yeah, I guess all of it had gone to my head...I know Lord Death would never do something like that."

"Ha, not even someone like him would be able to keep up the act of sorrow so well, or for so long, either. That was something you hadn't thought of. Well, I say we get going. There's...nothing else we can do, here, Maka." Nodding, the girl waited to follow her weapon out the door, but stopped and told him to go ahead, and she would catch up later. When asked why, her glance shifted from Chrona to Soul.

"I was the one who helped Chrona out of his tight shell," She said, sitting in a chair next to the small boy's bed. "I wouldn't feel right if I just left him here by himself. Besides, he really trusts me, and I'm sure he's terrified in that little mind of his. He needs someone here for him," Her eyes did all of the talking for Soul, though. And he already knew that there would be no changing her mind, she was as stubborn as a bull. But, he understood, and told her not to take too long, and left the sleeping Chrona to the company of no one but Maka.

Soul knew she would take longer than he was willing to wait for her, so he began walking home at his own pace. It gave him the time he had been needing, that alone time everyone needs now and then. He just needed to think. There was the pressure of being one of the strongest weapons in the school, he always had to keep his stoic, cool-kid face on, even on bad days, and not to mention the five deaths that had happened within the same year of each other. It would be different if the people who died weren't his _friends, _people who were family to him. But he knew that there was nothing he could do. Nothing could help what had gone on.

He was sorry.

Sorry for them, sorry for himself, for Maka, for Chrona...and for everyone else who had ended up being hurt in such a short time.

And, what was worse than that, was Soul had stopped caring about the deaths, right after Kid was killed.

Yes, Black Star was as close to Soul as he was to anybody, maybe even closer. Hell, they had tried to swap themselves, even. Soul had left Maka to go with Black Star to be his weapon, shouldn't that have meant something? Even if it had, there was no way to get Soul to feel anything about Black Star's death. It sickened him. Not that he died, but that he was killed, and he was killed so _brutally,_ that it sickened Soul to think that he didn't care about how he died, or how much he may have suffered.

The headless Black Star...

Soul forced himself to not grin when he imagined how Black Star died. He imagined his shocked face, and imagined how his body squirmed on the ground for a moment before falling still...and then he imagined the look on Tsubaki's face.

It was exciting to think about.

Why? Soul didn't know. It shouldn't have been exciting, and it certainly wasn't very exciting having to see the pictures of his friends after they were cut up. It gave him that sick feeling again, only because Soul felt no remorse in their murders, whatsoever.

And, of course, there was Chrona, currently residing in a coma, with Maka at his side. Soul thought about it. Yes, Maka would be devastated if anything were to happen to the boy, but, then again, in his current state, there was almost nothing that could help him.

Almost.

* * *

><p>She watched him sleep for a long time, watching his chest move up and down slowly, and thought about what he might be dreaming about. She hoped it wasn't anything bad, the poor guy had probably already had his fair share of sorrows. Sighing, Maka soon found herself talking to Chrona.<p>

"You know," She started. "They say that if you want someone to come back from a coma, all's you need to do is talk to them, and your voice would act as a guide, and help them come back to wake up," Again, Maka sighed, smiling. "I sure do hope that it works and all, Chrona. Because I am pretty worried about you. If you were allowed to be out of the academy's walls at night, I would make sure you would be safe with us, with Soul and I. If that was possible, things like this wouldn't happen. And...you wouldn't be here, like this." It was a while before any more words were said over his bedside. "Thinking about all of the bad things, all of the deaths that have happened around us...it's, well, I just fell numb. I feel like I haven't had any sort of emotion in months, almost a year, now. The only difference is that there are less and less people here to talk about it with, to share it with. And, that's why I'm here, I want you to know that I'll be here for you, Chrona. Even when you're sleeping, in a coma, like this. During times like this, we all need to be there for each other. And, even if you can't hear me..." Maka was thinking again, wishing, hoping that he would wake up. "Chrona, you need to wake up. Please, just wake up, I miss you, even though you're right here, you're not talking or anything, and it's like I'm talking to the dead. It's lonely, and...oh, I wish you'll wake up soon, Chrona. You and Soul are the only ones I've got left, and I don't want to lose you. You're like a brother to me, Chrona. Please, _please _just...wake up, Chrona. Wake _up..."_ She pleaded with him to wake up, to open his eyes and sit up and talk to her, to _look _at her, to hold her hand like she held his and just to _look _at her, until tears were falling down her face for the hundredth time. She begged him, with all of her heart and soul, the only thing Maka wanted was for Chrona to open his eyes, to _move, _even if it was just a simple stir during his sleep...

She didn't want to leave his side. She wanted to stay with him until he woke up, and then be there at his side to help him with whatever he needed. She held his skinny hand tightly in her grasp, holding it to her forehead and weeping.

The fear of losing him was always there. Right in the room, even. There wasn't anywhere she could go to escape the fear. She was so scared to lose Chrona. He didn't need any more suffering, he had been through too much, and he needed her. She didn't want to leave.

But Maka was aware, perfectly alert of the fact that there was almost nothing she could do to help him.

Almost.

* * *

><p>Maka didn't end up leaving for several hours. She stayed at Chrona's bedside for a long time, and then sat outdoors to calm herself down a bit before starting on her way home. By that time, it was dark, and Soul was waiting back at their home for her to return. With all of the murders that had been happening, he wasn't about to sleep until his meister had come home safely. Soon enough, she came through the door and saw Soul sitting on the couch and watching TV. He looked up to see that it was her, and let out a relieved sigh.<p>

"Sorry," She apologized, rubbing her arms to warm herself up. "I took longer than I thought,"

"Nah, you took just as long as I would have thought," Soul said in return. "You care too much about that kid to stay there for five minutes and leave."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," She giggled, going into the kitchen for a glass of water.

"So, what did you do all that time? Sit there?"

"Yeah," Maka gulped down the water like she hadn't had anything to drink in days, and then put the glass on the counter, making a dinging sound. "And I talked to him a bit, too."

"What use is talking to someone in a coma?"

"It's like a myth or something," She started. "If someone close talks to someone in a coma, it's like you're helping them come back from wherever they are. Like a guide,"

"Hm,"

"Don't make fun of me, Soul!" She said with a laugh.

"I'm not!" He answered playfully, smiling.

"Surrrree," Maka sighed before going off to her room. She had done a lot of work in the past few days, and needed all the sleep she could get. Soul, on the other hand, stayed up for hours longer than Maka. He couldn't go to sleep. At one point, after walking around the house didn't tire or relax him, he grabbed a jacket and decided to go for a little walk to the DWMA's infirmary, where the heart rate monitor was still beeping, and where the motionless Chrona laid, sleeping deeply, and where Soul looked down at his small frame that had been shrouded in white sheets and blankets. He snorted.

"I don't understand why she cares about you so much," He said in the same tone as he would when talking to someone he didn't particularly care for. "Sometimes I think she cares more about you than she did any one of our other friends who were killed. And look at you, lying helplessly in a coma after fighting the one who killed everyone else...You're probably not even in any real danger, yet she's more worried about you than she ever was for Liz, Tsubaki, Kid, Patty, or Black Star put together." The window was open, and the cold night air was rushing into the room, keeping everything fresh and calm. Soul's shadow shone across Chrona like an omen, while the pink-haired boy was highlighted by the moonlight. Seeing him that way only made Soul detest him.

His patience was lost.

"You weak, powerless, attention-hungry brat,"

* * *

><p>"Maka, wait!" Soul ran after her, but she was already ahead. She ran from the infirmary faster than she even knew she was capable of, leaving her weapon behind. The students in the hall watched her as she ran past them, wondering what had happened. She was on the verge of tears, some already escaping from her eyes as she came closer and closer to where she was going.<p>

She burst from the doorway and rushed into the forest behind the academy, and when she couldn't run anymore, Maka fell to her knees and let out a heart-wrenching shriek of pain, terror, and sadness. The sound of it echoed off the trees around her, so the entire forest could know how she felt. Tears came from her eyes like rain, gloomy, despairing rain. Each tear fell onto the grass and her hands in front of her, but she did nothing to stop them. It was impossible. Not even her screams seemed to stop, not on a day like this. Her whimpers and coughs were only heard by the trees and grass.

The birds had stopped singing, and had flown away.

Not a single leaf on any tree moved in the air that touched them.

And the only sounds were the ones of her pain.

For three hours Maka knelt in the grass, crying, gasping, wishing that it wasn't true. But it was. And the moment was encrypted in her memory, playing over and over again like a broken record. It was clear as day. The doorknob was twisted, but the door was locked. Looking up, she sees him in his bed, and wonders why she can't go in. Her heart races in panic, and when the door finally opens, there was silence. And, it was a loud, noticeable silence. The kind that you don't want to hear, because then you know something is terribly wrong. That's when she realized. The silence. There was no sound in the room, and Chrona was still in bed. No, she murmured. It wasn't possible. Soul was now in front of her, standing over the bed. He looked back at her. Then she was running, and trying not to cry. Now, here she was, cold in the middle of the woods, all alone, her eyes and throat sore from crying.

"He's...dead..." Maka was laying in the grass on her face, ignoring how the grass itched her. "Chrona..." She strained his name, and more tears came to her eyes. The simple thought or sound of the petite, strong, and caring boy's name was enough to make her cry for minutes, even when she thought there were no tears left to shed. And soon, it was sunset. It had felt like an eternity, but then it felt like no time at all. When the crickets started chirping, she pushed herself tiredly up from the hot, wet grass. "Now..." Maka told herself, eyes gleaming, rage building. She wanted revenge against the one who had done it. She wanted to torture the one who killed Chrona, in the most excruciating, long-lasting, painful manner possible. "Everything has changed." And with that, Maka rose from where she sat, and walked with eyes set to kill.

And during the time that Maka spent in her lonesome, mourning over the loss of the helpless Chrona, Soul was alone in the infirmary, acting as if he was sorry. But he didn't really need to. No one was there to see him, no one cared. And because he knew that, there was no reason to keep his words to himself.

"The only thing I can hope, is that you had a very nice dream when I was killing you," Soul said coldly, looking from the blank monitor where Chrona's heart beat used to be recorded, and then back to the pale-faced Chrona, who lay deceased. His eyes narrowed when he thought of his meister, though. "But, I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction from Maka..." He crossed his arms, and stared at the motionless body condescendingly. "I guess you were really special to her," His eyes became strangely dilated, and he reached out with one hand, touching Chrona's cheek, and then pushing it hard, making his head fall to the side. And, you know what? Not a bit of remorse was felt. In fact, Soul grinned and had to keep his laughter hidden until he was in privacy.

Each one spent their free time mourning and celebrating that day. But neither one was prepared for what was in store.

* * *

><p><em>So...how was it? Fun, I hope.<em>

_Now you know who the murderer was._

_Or, do you?_

_Leave a review on your speculations / reaction to what I have revealed, I'm anxious to see what you all thought of it._

_Until next time, comrades.  
><em>


	6. The Murderer

_Sorry for the long wait._

_I actually have no explanation as to why this came so late, it's been sitting around ready to be published for an entire month._

_But, anyway, here's the hopefully stunning conclusion to Silent Tears! _

_Enjoy, and remember, I do NOT own Soul Eater.  
><em>

* * *

><p>Soul only laughed. He couldn't stop himself. It was just too great- too <em>wonderful<em>, to see Chrona _dead._ Even after Soul had left the room where his body was, it was the only thing on the weapon's mind.

The stone-cold body of the helpless and frail boy who had been alive only hours before...

The smooth complexion, flawless features that no living being could ever possess...

The pale-white pallor that took over the corpse immediately after the beeps that numbered the beats of his heart began to slow and finally stop...

The satisfaction that went rushing, _coursing_ through Soul's veins like a flood...

Everything about it was just so..._wonderful _that it was no _wonder _that Soul would be laughing like he did whenever the images came back to him. He could talk to any convict out there, anyone who had lost their minds and killed a man, and it was obvious that the two would end up as best buddies when the visit was over.

But Soul's feeling of satisfaction had to end when he heard the front door knob begin to turn. Shutting his mouth and putting on a fresh face of despair and awe, he looked up as Maka came through the door, her face hidden by the hair that had fallen over her eyes. The mind of insanity now gone, Soul jumped up when he saw his meister.

"Maka!" He took a few steps toward her, but she said nothing and did not move after she closed the door behind her. "Where have you been all day? You actually got me a bit worried there for a second!" Again, no response, no movement, no nothing. "Hey, Maka, are you doing alright...?" A stupid question to ask when she had just been off screaming her lungs out for the past few hours. But Soul had nothing else up his sleeve at the moment. How were you supposed to comfort someone who had lost every friend they had? Finally, Maka chose to answer.

"No, Soul, I am anything but _alright,"_ She sounded cold, heartless, and defiant. Her body never moved. Soul only sighed.

"I'm sorry, Maka..."

"Sorry isn't good enough, Soul." She snapped. Her weapon's red eyes flared with irritation.

"Hey, don't go taking it out on me because Chrona died. It's not like _I _was the one who did it." Just then, Maka's head snapped in Soul's direction, and her eyes were shining with the need for vengeance. Clearly, what Soul had said had been a mistake. She started to turn things around on him.

"Oh yeah? Then why weren't you upset when Chrona died? And who said Chrona's death was _done _by someone? For all we know, it could have been a simple heart failure, but apparently, that's not what you think, is it Soul? Who said Chrona was killed? Certainly not me, and, oh, here's a question for 'ya: Why weren't you upset when Liz and Patty were killed? You hardly even shed a tear, and yet everyone else was crying their eyes out, and what about-"

"Wait, wait, wait, Maka, are you accusing me of killing the twins and Chrona?"

"Oh, look, we've been given a _smart _one, haven't we?" Maka spat the words sarcastically but hurtfully. Soul glared and yelled at her.

"Don't you start pointing fingers at me-"

"Then prove it! Prove that you're not the one who killed them!"

"Maka, you little-"

"Prove it!"

"-accusing me of killing those annoying-"

_"Prove it!"_

"-trash that _deserved _what they-"

_"PROVE IT!" _

And the house became silent.

Neither person moved.

There was not a sound.

Then, taking a breath, Soul broke the silence with his grinning laughter.

"I can't," He said, still laughing. "Because the only proof there would be is _against_ me..." Maka did not move, her eyes did not become soft, they were drilling into Soul, hating him. "And you know what, Maka? I didn't _just _kill Liz and Patty, but I also killed Kid, and Black Star, and Tsubaki...I even killed your little darling Chrona in his sleep. I killed them all! Every, single, _one _of them...!" He kept laughing, and only after a few moments of that did Maka even make an effort to speak. She gritted her teeth, staring him down.

"You filthy little _liar_,_"_ She hissed. Soul's laughing subsided, and made way for Maka to speak. "Do you know how I know you're lying? Because I know that you didn't kill all of them. I know it, I know it. You don't have it in you to kill the ones you _like. _That's why you haven't killed me yet, right? Weeeellll, guess what, Sherlock? _I was the one who killed Tsubaki and that pathetic excuse for an assassin, Black Star."_ Soul's eyes widened, he had been caught. But, what if she was lying, just to catch him off? But, how could she make such great guesses? After all, Tsubaki and Black Star were the only two that he hadn't killed, and it was impossible for anyone to really guess that, right? "Why aren't you defending yourself, Soul? Did I take the reins from your filthy hands or what?" But Soul only began to laugh again.

"That may be true, but I killed Chrona, the one person you loved the most in this world. That pathetic piece of trash. He didn't deserve any care or love, not at all. The only thing he deserved was his _death _at _my hands-"_ Maka screamed and jumped at Soul, forcing him to lose his balance and stumble backward. He kept moving back as Maka came forward, but when he went to tell her that none of it mattered in the end, she cut him short by tackling him and falling with him out the window and to the hard ground below their home.

Soul gasped when he made contact with the ground, trying to regain air. Maka stood nearly unscathed, with pieces of glass falling from her hair. She looked down on her weapon, who had almost regained his breath, while he writhed in a pile of broken glass beneath himself. When he was getting back to sorts Maka put his foot on his chest and smashed him back onto the glass. He grunted with pain.

"How did you do it?" She demanded. "You were never able to use parts of your body as a weapon, so how did you figure out how to do it without my knowing?" But Soul did not answer her question, and instead, asked one of his own.

"I should be asking you the same thing, Maka..." He groaned. "How were you able to kill them when you have no mode of weaponry, huh? The murders had to be done with a blade, you saw each photo for yourself," But Maka wasn't going to waste time over the matter, like Soul was. She didn't bother leading up to her answer like he did. Instead, she stated each reply as bluntly as she could.

"Because I can do this," Black and blue blades came from her arms with a shine, the quickness of their appearance blowing Maka's hair like it was wind. Her eyes never left Soul, who was still on the ground, eyes now brimming with surprise.

"Maka, you're a-" He was going to say '_weapon' _but she cut him off by sending a blade from her leg hard into the ground next to his head. Then acting upon instinct Soul used his own scythes as a counterattack, creating a blade from his arm and thrusting upward toward Maka, who narrowly dodged it. She pulled her own blades back and leaped a short distance from Soul, who was already halfway to his feet. "How would you be able to kill, Maka?" Soul asked, getting to his feet. She looked at him with mild confusion, but did not stop glaring at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I _mean _how do you have the mentality to kill a person? You've always seemed to have an issue with killing innocent people,"

"I can do it because I can go in and out of madness when I want," Soul was caught off guard, visibly. And Maka wasn't in the mood for talking. "Why don't you just shut up already?" She ran at him, creating three blades as she closed in; one on her back and one on each arm. She was moving fast, she was letting the madness have part of her. But Soul was quick on his feet, too. When Maka was close enough he made a blade of his own to block her oncoming attacks. One by one a blade was made by either Soul or Maka, and blocked or dodged by the other. Flashes of light and the sound of clanging metal was echoing throughout their battlefield. Blue and black scythes went head-on with red and black ones, making sparks with every bit of contact.

Seconds that seemed like minutes passed until Maka stepped it up a notch. She let the madness take over more of her mind, allowing her faster movement and quick reaction, whether or not it be structered or reckless. Soul knew what she was doing, but wasn't going to let himself be subject to his own methods that soon in the battle. But if he had to, he would let his own madness take over his mind and let it have at the fight. In his mind, he thought Maka was doing it too soon.

Letting out a cry of ambition, Soul spotted one of Maka's reckless openings, turning his arm into a scythe and slashing it down on what would be her head, he caught sight of her face. Her eyes were covered in momentary fear, and even in sadness. Thousands of memories poured into his mind in that split second. Memories of Maka and himself fighting, and seeing that look in her eyes. He stopped his attack only inches before it would have struck her head. She hadn't moved out of the way. Maka stood frozen where she was, but now her eyes were no longer of fear. She grinned after a long second of silence, taking a swipe at Soul's side that he left unguarded. She felt the blade tug with slight resistance, sending a tingle down her mad little spine while Soul cried out in pain. She laughed, the madness clearly taking more of a hold. But in the next few minutes of sluggish and painful battling for Soul, he managed to land several great strikes on Maka. She stumbled around, saying it hurt, but then turned around with that grin again and attacked with even more force. She was taking every chance she had to jump from a wall or to stomp on a blade of Soul's, to kick his blades out of the way. It was a bunch of cheap moves, but it was working. It was actually irritating Soul.

So, he let some of his madness take hold. But after a few minutes of fighting, it did little good. He slowly let a little more take root in his mind every few moments, and before he realized it his entire body had been taken under the control of the madness. Maka, though, had long ago given her entire mind to it. That's why she had been putting up such a fight.

The fight was literally out of the hands of Soul and Maka. They could see their bodies fighting one another in a vicious and absolutely frightening way, it was insanity versus insanity, zero strategy and no control.

Then, Soul and Maka's wavelengths crossed, and the two found their sane selves in the same area, face to face. Maka's eyes leered into Soul, who looked at her carelessly. They could each feel and see the outside battle still going on, but they both knew that they were powerless to do anything about it.

"Why did you kill the twins?" It was a simple question from the meister, yes, but the answer was not as easy to say.

"I can't really say why," Soul said after a pause. "The only reason I might be able to give to you, is my condition with the madness." He made a gesture of sarcasm, but Maka knew he didn't mean it in a comical fashion.

"And what about Kid?" Maka's voice was flat-toned but strong. She wanted answers, she needed them. She already had her own, whether or not they were cheap excuses.

"He was coming too close to finding out that it was me," Soul answered plainly. "I wasn't about to get in trouble for it. So, I made it seem like an epidemic sort of thing and went ahead and killed him, too. And, I was going to kill off Chrona, after that. His whining really got to me...but then we got the news of Tsubaki and Black Star. So, Maka. Why did you kill them?" Her answer was already prepared, and there was little wait between the question and her answer.

"I had been messing around with madness, and it got to me more than I had planned. It was easier to kill Black Star than I thought. He was so full of himself that he didn't do very well. And when Tsubaki came down and saw what had happened...she saw me, too. So, I had to get rid of her in order to save myself. I didn't plan on killing her. I was more or less sane for her murder," The thought of her killing her best female friend sent a wave of sadness through her. If she had been in the madness at the time, it would have been a blurry mess, not a clear memory. Then she thought of Chrona. "And I already know why you killed Chrona." Soul chuckled.

"He was too whiny for my taste," He said. "But it wasn't only that, you know. It seemed like you liked him more than you liked me...and I wasn't gonna have that. So, when the time came, I killed him. My first try landed him in that coma, but the second was a quick and painless way to go. Sleeping," He shrugged.

And just then, like a synchronized dance, both meister and weapon cried out with pain. They hadn't been paying attention to the fight outside their sane minds, but now that they looked at it, they saw that each of them had their own blades stuck deep into the other's shoulder. Maka looked around her urgently, looking for something that not even she knew. Soul held his shoulder with pain, and was suddenly aware of all the other wounds on his body. Maka tried to ignore them, but now the fight was becoming harder.

More and more wounds were being received by each person, weakening them. Desprately, they tried to take control. Neither of them wanted to be the one to fall.

Soon, the two had become seprate and were fighting for control of their minds again. In the dark and thick matter that was the madness, they tried to swim faster than the other. They were surrounded bt utter blackness, they could only see themselves, and the distant puddle above them that was the way to sanity. The struggle raged as their bodies took more and more hits. They bled, loosing power and the strength to move. The will to live was hardly enough, but it was just enough to bear the pain and to keep striving for their minds. It was coming closer and closer, it was _so close...! _

Each one broke through the barrier of madness and gained their minds at the same time. Maka had been facing the wrong direction when she came to, and Soul was in midair. They caught sight of each other and their bloodied bodies, but that didn't stop anything. Blades once again clashed, but the hard fight from before had broken each fighter's defenses. The tips of blades went sliding into already open wounds, causing only more pain. But soon, neither one could fight. They couldn't summon any more scythes from their damaged bodies and had fought with fists and brawn until they fell. Exhaustion took each fighter into a world of numbing pain and dizziness, and before they knew it, each one was on the ground, half asleep from the fight.

Suddenly Maka stood, face shadowed. She stumbled to her feet, and loafed over to Soul, who had his eyes closed, laying in a small pile of scattered glass. She did not know how long it had been since they stopped fighting, she had nothing on her mind. There was a shine, and a blur of black and blue and dark red, accompanied by the sound of penetrated flesh and cracking bone and a blood-curttling scream. The sound continued until the screams died, and until no more holes could be put into the back of the white-haired boy. His torso was flimsy and red, with a puddle of blood beneath him, his face on the ground where he had fallen. And right then and there, the murderer watched as her mind was given back to her, and as she brought a hand-sized blade toward herself. She watched and felt as her own blade cut into her flesh, cutting off her way of breath. She watched as she fell to the ground, blood overflowing from her own slashed neck. And she watched as sunlight from a new day poured over the buildings and over her previous partner and weapon, and watched as the light covered her face with its warmth for the last time. Then, closing her eyes, she stopped watching.

* * *

><p><em>Well, that was it. <em>

_I hope you all really liked it, and I hope you were at least somewhat surprised. Ha._

_Leave a review, I wanna hear how well or how bad of a job I did._

_Thank you, loyal readers! _

_Until next time!_


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